A few years ago, my sweet little daughter was born (alongside her fantastic twin brother). It was a moment I’d dreamed about for years, and as I lavished upon my brand new little girl her very first snuggles, I wondered what mark she’d leave on the world. Would she be an astronaut? A surgeon? A teacher? A full-time mother? An artist? A construction worker? An architect? A librarian? A collector? A spender? A saver?

It was recently announced that there will be a prequel TV series for the Lord of the Rings. Some people are saying that this is going to be the next cult TV sensation. We all know that Tolkien helped pioneer the fantasy genre, but when it comes to TV, Game of Thrones is the original. With the final season airing in 2019 and then spin-off series already in the works, it is highly unlikely anyone can compete with the juggernaut that is Game of Thrones. What do you think? Is the Lord of the Rings fandom big enough to make the new series an instant success or do you think that Game of Thrones is unstoppable? No matter which side you fall on, we all have a long wait before either show puts out new content.

Have you heard the hubbub about hoopla? One of the newest additions to the Metropolitan Library System family, hoopla is your one-stop-shop for everything digital! From audiobooks to movies, hoopla has it all, and you get six free downloads each month, thanks to your library card.

Not sure where to start? Check out some of these popular eBooks, and explore all that hoopla has to offer.

Practically all my life, I’ve carried a book with me at all times. I read everywhere. I scoff at people who say they “don’t have time to read.” Oh yeah? What do you do in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, in line at the supermarket, on breaks at work, and at stoplights? For the true reader, there is ALWAYS time to read.

The Golden Globe nominations are out, and the winners will be announced January 7th. As usual, there are many literary adaptations for us to explore, beginning with two films in the “best motion picture” categories.

October and fall are two of my favorite things. It is the season of all things monster, horror, and paranormal. So I’ve pulled together a list of 31 titles for all of you guys and ghouls! Some are scary, some are classics, and some are something else entirely; but they are all monster-rific!

Someone recently asked me this: "If you could choose any category to play in Jeopardy, what would it be?" My immediate answer: "80s pop culture, please!" To me, the 80s were a wonderful and awkward decade of perms, mullets, "mom jeans," and wood paneling, alongside some of the best films, books, music, and art.

144 novels were submitted, the longlist of 13 was whittled down to the shortlist of six, and the winner was announced October 17. First awarded in 1969, the Man Booker is one of the leading prizes for literary fiction written in English. For most of its history, the prize was limited to the UK and Commonwealth, but the rules were changed in 2014 to expand to all English language novels published in the UK during the year.